APPLICATIONS | 2012; 01

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[treschic]

Personality:

On the outside Biffy presents himself as the shining example of what it is to be a dandy in nearly every way except he was born to the wrong class. Dandies were actually self-made middle class men aspiring to mimic the aristocracy, Biffy was already an aristocrat who had never worked in a trade before Heartless when he took over the hat shop. Otherwise he possesses all of the traits, placing a great deal of importance on dress, manners, language, and intelligence.

Biffy is always an amiable character, overtly friendly whether by familiarity with a person or just because it’s social protocol. He hardly ever comes across as harsh or unapproachable and is seen by many of the girls in London as a kind of princely type character—which is why the hat shop is constantly bombarded by young women after he takes over. He’s the kind of guy who will kiss your hand, ask you to dance, humor you, and treat you like you’re the only person in the room making him a romantic and appealing sort of character. Sometimes he plays this role for the sheer delight of it and because he really is a gentleman and sometimes there is an ulterior motive. Nine times out of ten someone has information that he covets and he’ll happily charm the socks right off the individual in order to get at it.

For all of his princely charms Biffy is a flirt and a tease. When it comes to those he is on friendly terms with he has no problem making a benign joke or two at their expense and he knows precisely where to toe the line. During Alexia’s pregnancy he likened her to a dirigible landing green due to her very pregnant state and the fact that she was wearing all green at that particular moment. He would never intentionally hurt someone’s feelings, particularly a loved one, but he’s never afraid to have a go. He’s also openly flirtatious as well, though he’s rarely seen acting upon his coquettish tendencies. He’s not above drinking with a barmaid sitting in his lap, or giving a naked Conall his appraisal, he’s openly affectionate towards Lord Akeldama and Professor Lyall

Biffy is also described as being very efficient which could be attributed to almost anything from his infallible information network and his prowess for gathering information, to his keen perception and his ability to know and see things differently. In Soulless he was afraid to leave Lord Akeldama’s side because he knew something was going to happen and he was not wrong, Lord Akeldama was taken and experimented on. He and the other Drones were able to find Lord Akeldama based on their information network and once Lord Akeldama was found Biffy was first to take handle of the situation, seemingly holding a position of some kind of leadership among the Drones. In Timeless he was responsible for finding out who killed the Kingair Beta and for solving quite a few of the mysteries around them including the origin of the God-Breaker Plague. So behind his cheery disposition there’s a very analytic and together kind of guy which is why Lyall was confident he would make for an excellent successor as Beta. Biffy also has an interesting talent, his observation skills are so incredible that, if he’s close to someone, he can tell what sort of mood they are in just by the state of their clothing. Even if it’s the slightest wrinkle.

Unfortunately Lyall is more confident in Biffy in terms of pack matters than Biffy himself. While very confident in certain areas, when it comes to being a werewolf he’s not so confident. It’s possible that the trouble he’s having with the adjustment could be attributed to this. He’s not connecting at this point and he’s not comfortable with his place in spite of the responsibilities he’s been given. He’s even more reluctant in Timeless when he finds out he has an Anubis form and is therefore Alpha material. He has no wish to be subjected to an Alpha’s fate which would put him in a position to fight off other would be Alphas and eventually losing his mind and dying early. He does grow to accept his pack, but he has trouble wrapping his feelings around the irresponsibility of being a pack Alpha.

It probably does not help that Biffy is a do-for-others kind of guy. Even though he’s quite capable of taking on leadership roles unfailingly he’s never had to maintain them and it has never crossed his mind that he would have to be in that sort of position. This is why the Kingair pack leader couldn’t believe that Biffy had an Anubis form because he didn’t much act like an Alpha. He’s quite content in the role of assisting others and has described himself as different from Lord Akeldama in one way: he gathers information for the sake of others as opposed to Lord Akeldama who gathers information only for himself.

In matters of the heart Biffy is shown to have a number of facets. Once someone has made a place in his heart they are there forever, an example being his affection for Lord Akeldama. Even when they are kind of forced to separate (due to the fact that Biffy clinging to the past made it impossible for him to adapt as a werewolf) Biffy still had affections for him that being separated could not shake. Even while he was making room in his heart for Lyall, in his head he mused that Lyall had not forced Lord Akeldama out, but instead made an entirely new place in his heart so both of them held a place in different compartments. While not the overtly jealous or possessive type he has shown inclinations that might have been strengthened by his new werewolf disposition. He does not say so much out loud, but in Timeless he actually holds some resentment towards the long deceased Alessandro Tarabotti and to some degree tries to take him off that pedestal Lyall has him on.

Biffy is rarely moved by anger and revenge, but when he is…it’s a dish best served cold. He could actually care less what people say to him or how they treat him, because his dignity and pride prevents him from sinking to their level, but threaten or hurt anyone that he’s even remotely fond of and your life could be a living hell. The only time we see what his anger is truly capable of is in Timeless when Alexia’s jealous and resentful sister, Felicity, tells Lady Kingair (Alpha of the Kingair werewolves) that it was Lyall who sabotaged her pack. It was because of him that Conall (previous Kingair Alpha) killed his Beta and abandoned his pack. Felicity did this because she felt she should have been married to a lord with a child and wealth as opposed to her sister who she thinks of as neither particularly pretty nor special. Furious with her Biffy threw her out of “his” home (“his” is significant here because for the first time we get a glimpse of Biffy actually feeling as though he belonged there and a glimmer of his pack solidarity). Before throwing her out he made a promise that he would absolutely ruin her, make her a social outcast unwelcome in any establishment within London and possibly all of Britain as he suggested she start packing her bags and consider immigrating to the Americas. With Lord Akeldama still a very close friend and his own personal connections odds are he was just as good as his word.

One of Biffy’s idiosyncrasies is that he’s a perfectionist in his own way and this stems from his dandy lifestyle. He has a very low tolerance for slovenliness, mostly in terms of dress, but he’d probably have a stroke if he had to walk into the home of a devoted pack rat. An improperly tied cravat or a sloppily buttoned waist coat is as difficult for him to cope with as a tilted picture frame on a wall. It’s annoying and if he can rectify it without being too rude he’d be glad to.

Other: Biffy is shown to have a knack for hair styling and overall style, due to his perceptive nature he knows what [in terms of clothing] would look good on someone and what would look absolutely beastly. He also has a keen eye for interior decorating and had a hand in decorating Alexia and Conall’s new townhouse in London. Biffy also has a secret that is, as of yet in this point of the timeline, unknown to him. Since Biffy is still very reluctant when it comes to the werewolf side of himself he has no idea that he possesses the ability to take on the Anubis form, a fact that automatically makes him an Alpha whether he likes it or not. The Anubis form is an exceptionally rare form when it comes to werewolves, the individual takes on the head of a wolf while maintaining the body of a human and they are the only ones who can sire werewolves. In his wolf form Biffy’s fur is a deep chocolate color the fur underneath is the color of oxblood and the arrangement of fur around his neck is said to resemble a cravat. Also, as a werewolf, Biffy is much stronger and faster than your average human...the whole supernatural shebang.

Additional Links: http://gailcarriger.blogspot.com/2011/09/character-study-biffy.html